Shortstop
What could have been with less injury and possibly a tad less disruption? Nomar Garciaparra broke on the Boston baseball scene with a Rookie of the Year Award after hitting.306 with 30 home runs. A dependable glove, but not a great glove, but the hitting was something special from the lightning-quick bat of Garciaparra.
Nomar had back-to-back titles in 1999-2000 hitting .357 and .372. Garciaparra also topped 100 RBI four times in Boston and made five All-Star teams. For his nine seasons in Boston, Garciaparra hit .323 with 178 home runs and 670 RBI.
The end for Nomar came in 2004 with a combination of declining performance – which may have been injury-related – and disgruntled over his contract situation. The Red Sox traded him to the Chicago Cubs to solidify the shortstop position defensively and the result was positive – the shattering of “The Curse.”
Nomar’s career continued to go down the rabbit hole before he retired in 2009. For his first half-dozen seasons in Boston, this was a player headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.